December 21, 1912





RECORD AND GUIDE





1167





BUILDINGJIATERIALS

Common  Brick  Prices   Stiffen  Despite
Light Deinand.

Wholesale Lumber Market Hungry for
Lower Grades as Better Lines Are
Rushed Out in Anticipation of In¬
ventory Taking—Steel Quiet-
Architectural Terra Cotta Interests
Busy—Linseed Oil Steady at Low
Levels.





BUILDING materials have entered
upon their winter pace as far as
demand is concerned. The most'impor-
tant movement is the tendency on the
part of lumber mills to rush to market
higher grades of lumber in view of the
approach of stock taking time. In con¬
sequence, lower grades are restricted on
shipments, which makes the wholesal¬
ers shy on supplies. Hardwoods are in
active demand, but manufacturing con¬
ditions, due to shortage of labor and
cars, are not as good as could be de¬
sired.

In the architectural terra cotta de¬
partment unusual conditions are prevail¬
ing. The plants are very active, and
there is reported to be a large volume
of business in prospect. In the general
clay products market common brick
takes the center of the stage for ec¬
centricity. With only a light demand,
prices are stiffening, so that, instead
of $6.75 being the basic price for good
North Rivers and best Raritans, $6.87}/^
is basic for good Hudsons, and $6.75
for best Raritans. Front brick are in
good demand with prices being well
sustained.

Steel, with other building metals, is
in an active market with prices fairly
steady. Some important contracts
have been taken for 1913 delivery in this
city and vicinity, but there is a large
volume of new tonnages that has not
yet been placed and still more that is
not yet being even figured.

The coal situation has been a source
of worry to building managers. Inquiry
has failed to reveal a general tendency
on the part of large distributors here to
advance prices except on exceptional
sizes. Steam coal, such as Pea, Buck¬
wheat, Nos. 1 and 2 and Rice, are still
being quoted on the old basis, although
in the case of railroads there is no ten¬
dency to quote prices in preference to
tonnage.

The building material market is bet¬
ter supplied today than it was at this
time last year, but this is due more to
a desire on the part of producers to
lower their yard stocks than to reck¬
less buying among distributors. The
speculative element is not conspicuous,
which fact is a cause of considerable
satisfaction among prospective consum¬
ers. Last year at this time the specu¬
lator was a conspicuous factor. He en¬
tertained hopes of a boom year in build¬
ing construction. As it happened, the
season started late and prices began
to crumple and then to rise in August,
after he had hastily unloaded, so that
he did not win sufficiently on his invest¬
ment to warrant him coming into the
market again this year. The specu¬
lator apparently has decided that it is
a bad time to speculate when prices are
more  likely  to  move  up  than   down.

In reference to price prospects the
action of the heaviest steel producers
in deciding against higher prices after
the first of the year will have a firming
tone in all departments and, except for
those which may have to undergo re¬
adjustment because of sharp fluctuations
owing to vacillations in prices of raw
materials, quotations and discounts, will
probably continue itnchanged for some
time at least.





ARCHITECTURAL TERRA COTTA.

Plants in the Metropolitan District Fairly

Busy—Recent Contracts.

ARCHITECTURAL terra cotta plants
throughout the metropolitan district
are reported to be fairly busy. The At¬
lantic Terra Cotta Company reports that
it recently was awarded contracts for the
Bay Ridge high school at Bay Ridge,
N. Y. C. B. J. Snyder, architect; Monward
Realty Co., St. Louis, Eames & Young,
architects; Roman County Court House,
Salisbury, N. C, A. Ten Eyck Brown,
architect; factory for Electro-Dental
Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia,
William Steele & Sons, contractors and
architects, and the Adams Express Build¬
ing, New York, F. H. Kimball, architect.
The company reports completed deliveries
on the Woolworth Building, of which Cass
Gilbert is  the  architect.

Most all of the companies are operating
their plants up to 75 per cent, of capacity.
This is said to be an unusual condition
for this time of the year. The department
of architectural terra cotta is one in
which price fluctuations are not quotably
felt for the reason that each job presents
a  different problem  of installation.

The increased consumption in architec¬
tural terra cotta not only in the city but
in the suburbs has created a demand con¬
siderably in excess of recent years and
the fact that higher wages are now being
paid at the plant to the laborers and clay
has to be carried from greater distances,
it is to be presumed that along with the
higher costs of other raw materials archi¬
tectural terra cotta will be more or less
affected before the first of April next
year.

BRICK  PRICES   STIFFER.

Hudson Rivers in Light Demand Because

Market Is  Now  Supplied.

BRICK prices stiffened despite the fact
that the demand fell off. Basic prices
rule about seven-eighths, although best
grades of brick run up to $7. Raritan
River brick is also running about even
with Hudsons, with a good suburban de¬
mand. Continued mild weather ds largely
responsible for the stiffened prices, be¬
cause it is permitting builders to use
brick in larger quantities than usual at
this time of the year. Front brick is also
in stronger demand for the same reason.
Official transactions for Hudson River
commons for last week, with comparisons
for the corresponding week last year,
follow:—

1912.
Left  Over,  December  9—41.

Arrived.       Sold.     Covered.

Monday   .......    22               8               5

Tuesday   .......       1             10               0

Wednesday  ....    11               4               J

Thursday   ......       9             11               2

Friday   ........       7               5               0

Saturday   ......      5               4               0

Fb             42             10

Condition of market, weak on demand,
strengthening In price. Prices, Hudsons,
$— to $7. Basic, $6.87V4 per M. Raritans,
$6.75 to $7. (Wholesale dock New York).
For retail price allow for dealer's profit
and cartage. Left over, December 16th—
54.   Under cover,  28.

1911.
Left Over, December 11—61.

Arrived.    Sold.

Monday   .....................    6           IJ

Tuesday   ....................   ,8           11

Wednesday   .................     4           10

Thursday   ...................  18           18

Friday   .....................    7             J

Saturday   ...................    1             6

Total   .....................  44           61

On hand, December 18—44; covered, 20.
Prices,   $6.76  top.

CEMENT   SITUATION   STRONGER-

Generai    Improvement    In    Demand    and

Prices  Somewhat  Stiffer.

THE cement situation In the eastern
market has been helped considerably
by open weather conditions. A larger
quantity of the commodity Is being used
in the city now than is usual at this time
of the year, and in consequence prices are
somewhat stiffer and shipments from mills
are fairly active. The evidence of im¬
provement in the cement market Is shown
in the fact that Brooklyn Bridge brand
Rosendale Hydraulic cement is now
quoted at 90 cents a barrel instead of 86
cents. No further advance has been re¬
ported in Portland cement but conditions
are generally found to be good and there
is a stiffening tendency as far as prices
are concerned.

COAL    PRODUCTION    GREATER.
Building   Supply  Interests  Have  Not  Ad¬
vanced Prices Here.

ACCORDING to the United States Geo¬
logical Survey's report the output of
coal in each successive decade has practi¬





cally doubled. The recent report Issued by
the department gives some interesting In¬
formation regarding coal production that
few building managers are familiar with.
In this connection It might be stated that
the reported advance in coal prices this
week was chiefly among family trade
dealers. Large distributors who sell coal
on yearly tonnage contracts are not yet
advancing  prices.

If the production of bituminous coal
was considered the record for the last
flfty years would show an increase some¬
what in access of this ratio. The increase
in the production of anthracite has been
much less rapid on account of the limited
area of the fields, the condition under
which the industry Is carried on and the
restriction of the prepared sizes to domes¬
tic consumption.

It has been estimated that the output
of anthracite will reach 100,000,000 long
tons annually before It begins to decline.
The maximum production up to the pres¬
ent time has been 80,771,488 long tons.
An increase in the annual production of
bituminous coal may be anticipated for
some time to come.

The satisfies of coal production in the
past show that up to the close of 1865 the
total output has amounted to 284,890,056
short tons. In the decade from 1866 to
1875, Inclusive, the jjroduotion amounted
to 419,425,104 tons, making the total pro¬
duction up to the close of 1875, 704,315,-
159 tons. In the following decade, from
1876 to 1885, Inclusive, the output amount¬
ed to 847,760,319 tons, somewhat more
than double the total production during
the preceding decade. At the close of
1886 the total production amounted to 1,-
552,075,478 tons, and the production dur¬
ing the ten years ended in 1895 was 1,-
586,098,641 tons, the total production at
the close of 1895 amounting to 3,138,174,-
119 short tons. In the decade ended De¬
cember 31, 1905, the total production
amounted to 2,832,402,746 short tons, and
the grand total from the beginning of re¬
corded coal mining in the United States
amounted to 5,970,576,866 short tons. The
average annual production from 1896 to
1906 was 283,240,276 short tons; the aver¬
age production from 1906 to 1911, inclu¬
sive, was 461,499,260 short tons, showing
an Increase of 178,258,985 short tons, or 63
per cent.





NEW STEEL  CONTRACTS.
Fabricated  Structural  Steel for  Commer¬
cial Bnlldinga Less  Active—American
Express  Building Tonnage.





FABRICATED structural steel showed
considtrable activity this week. An¬
nouncement was made that the American
Express Building, at 63 Broadway, will
require 2,200 tons of structural sheets,
which will be supplied by Levering &
Garrigues. It was also announced that
the Thompson-Starrett Company had been
awarded the contract for the Stevens
Building in Chicago. The Thompson-Star¬
rett Company as general contractors will
announce awards later for steel which
will amount to 6,500 tons of structural
shapes. This job has "been the cynosure
of structural Iron interests for some time.
Inquiries for pig iron are large and
run for long deliveries. The unusual con¬
dition of consumers trying to engage pig
iron for a whole year ahead is the rule
rather than the exception at this time.
Some negotiations for shipment even ex¬
tend into 1914. The pending tonnage Is
extremely heavy and while sales so far
this month have been lighter than in the
corresponding period last month, there Is
gireater pressure for deliveries. Iron-
working shops in this city are working
to capacity, despite the fact that there Is
still some delay reported in building oper¬
ations, owing to the slow deliveries in
steel.





LUMBER  SUPPLY  LIMITED.

Wholesale    Market    Hungry    for    Lower

Buiiding   Grades—Miiia   Holding

Prices Firm.





THE general wholesale lumber market
is showing a marked tendency
to stiffen on lower grades. The car
shortage is still a factor in this condi¬
tion and while the mills are over-stocked
for the moment, they are holding prices
up because of the volume of business
pending. The Inventory season is ap¬
proaching, causing prompt shipments of
the better grades into the market at once.
This accounts for the fact that only lower
grades are affected by the present strin¬
gency.

White pine is in fair demand with prices
flrm. Spruce stacks are broken at West
Virginia points and demand Is heavy. The
November 1st price Is being exceeded
where It is possible to place orders and
guarantee shipments.